Thursday, July 28, 2011

During oral arguments in AMP v. PTO (the ACLU/PubPat attack on Myriad Genetic’s BRCA gene patents, previously discussed here), the panel of Federal Circuit judges hearing the case evinced some skepticism as to whether any of the named plaintiffs have standing to bring the lawsuit. For example, many of the plaintiffs are patients who would not appear to be in any real threat of being sued by Myriad for patent infringement.

The plaintiffs most likely to have standing are probably the clinicians who the ACLU argues would engage in BRCA testing were it not for the Myriad patents. However, the declarations by these plaintiffs do not unambiguously state that the plaintiff would begin doing BRCA testing if the patents are invalidated. Instead, they merely declare that the plaintiff has the "capability and desire" to perform the tests, and that the plaintiff "has all the personnel, expertise, and facilities necessary to do various types of sequencing." These declarations were drafted by lawyers, and I think the language used is meaningful, reflecting the fact that these clinicians have not committed to performing BRCA testing if the patents are invalidated.

During oral arguments the Federal Circuit judges pushed the ACLU attorney to clarify whether this language indicated a commitment to perform the tests, implying that a mere "capability and desire" to perform the test might not be sufficient to generate the degree of controversy necessary for standing. In my opinion, the ACLU attorney never provided a clear answer to the question, which suggests that in fact these clinicians have not committed to performing the tests.

Yesterday, Myriad's attorneys sent a letter to the Federal Circuit judges informing them that one of the key clinician plaintiffs who submitted this sort of declaration, Dr. Harry Osterer, has left his position at the NYU Langone Medical Center, and apparently is no longer in a position to offer clinical BRCA genetic testing. Attached to the letter is a printout from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, identifying Dr. Osterer as a new professor at Albert Einstein. In the letter, Myriad's attorneys state that Albert Einstein does not offer, and is not qualified offer, clinical genetic testing. If this is correct, this seems to further undercut any pretense that he is committed to offering clinical BRCA testing if the patents are invalidated. A copy of the letter is attached here.

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About Me

I am a law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. My primary research interests lie at the intersection of biotechnology and intellectual property. This blog provides analysis and commentary on recent developments relevant to this area of the law.